1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to media production, and more specifically, to automating production devices during a media production.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, the production of a live or live-to-tape video show (such as a network news broadcast, talk show, or the like) is largely a manual process involving a team of specialized individuals working together in a video production environment having a studio and a control room. The video production environment is comprised of many diverse types of video production devices, such as video cameras, microphones, video tape recorders (VTRs), video switching devices, audio mixers, digital video effects devices, teleprompters, and video graphic overlay devices, etc.
In a conventional production environment, the video production devices are manually operated by a production crew (which does not include the performers and actors, also known as the “talent”) of artistic and technical personnel working together under the direction of a director. A standard production crew is made up of nine or more individuals, including camera operators (usually one for each camera, where there are usually three cameras), a video engineer who controls the camera control units (CCUs) for each camera, a teleprompter operator, a character generator operator, a lighting director who controls the studio lights, a technical director who controls the video switcher, an audio technician who controls an audio mixer, tape operator(s) who control(s) a bank of VTRs, and a floor director inside the studio who gives cues to the talent.
Typically, the director coordinates the entire production crew by issuing verbal instructions to them according to a script referred to as a director's rundown sheet. Generally, each member of the production crew is equipped with a headset and a microphone to allow constant communication with each other and the director through an intercom system. The video produced by crew is delivered or transmitted to a master control system that, in turn, broadcasts the video over traditional mediums to a television set. Traditional mediums include the appropriate ranges of the frequency spectrum for television, satellite communications, and cable transmissions. The global Internet and other computer networks present an alternative distribution medium for video productions and like.
During the execution of a live or live-to-tape video show, the production crew must perform multiple parallel tasks using the variety of video production devices. Furthermore, these tasks must all be coordinated and precisely synchronized according to very strict timing requirements. Coordination between the production crew, the director and the talent is vitally important for the successful execution of a show. Accordingly, the logistics of executing a show are extremely difficult to plan and realize.
In the early days, producer rundowns were created manually on paper as a form of putting together the show. New technology allows for this process to be used in networked computers. Companies such as iNEWS™ (i.e., the iNEWS™ news service available on the iNews.com website), Newsmaker, Comprompter, and the Associated Press (AP) have developed news automation systems to manage the workflow processes associated with a newsroom operation. A news automation systems is a network-based service that aggregates stories from news services, such as AP, Konas, and CNN services, in addition to local police and fire station monitoring as well as field reporters from the broadcast station. During a news automation process, all components of a news production (including wire services, assignment editor, reporters, editors, producers, and directors) are connected so that the show building process can be streamlined with file sharing, indexing and archiving by show names. However, if a news automation source changes or becomes unavailable, the director must be able to quickly adjust the rundown to avoid errors on the air.
Thus, a significant problem with today's conventional production environment is the director must be able to quickly assign sources while executing the show. During a live production, production equipment may fail to operate or members of the crew or talent may miss their cues. The director must be able to quickly react to these dynamic events.
The above problems can be overcome with the aid of production automation systems, such as the automated production control system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,452,612, issued Sep. 17, 2002, to Holtz et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. However, even in a fully automated production control environment, it is conceivable that equipment may fail and require immediate replacement during a live broadcast. The content and order of news stories may change (e.g., breaking news) and require new sources to be made available. Pre-recorded or re-purposed content may need to be re-composited to remove inappropriate layers, such as a “live” key on a previous broadcast, objectionable images, etc. In other words, the director must be able to quickly change the production values or equipment without causing noticeable errors during a live broadcast.
Therefore, a need exists to develop a technology that addresses these concerns.